Serena captures third title at Roland Garros
PARIS — What started out as a stroll became a struggle for Serena Williams.
After going up by a set and two breaks in the French Open final Saturday, she double-faulted away that lead. Suddenly, she trailed in the third set.
As the tension thickened, Williams was warned by the chair umpire for cursing loudly. She even hit one shot lefthanded.
But Williams put aside a lingering illness, a midmatch lull and a feisty opponent, and she won her third title at Roland Garros and 20th Grand Slam singles trophy by beating 13th-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2.
“I got so frustrated. I was just so angry at myself. I pretty much gave the match away,” the No. 1-seeded Williams said. “I just had to, like, try to pull it together.”
That she did, taking the last six games and adding to her 2002 and 2013 championships on the French Open’s red clay. Those go alongside six each from the U.S. Open and Australian Open, and five from Wimbledon.
“When I was a little girl, in California, my father and my mother wanted me to play tennis,” the 33-year-old American told the crowd in French. “And now I’m here, with 20 Grand Slam titles.”
Only two players in the century-plus of Grand Slam tennis have more: Margaret Smith Court with 24, and Steffi Graf with 22.
Williams also stretched her winning streak at the majors to 21 matches, following titles at the U.S. Open last September and Australian Open in January. She is the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to win the Australian Open and French Open back-to-back and heads to Wimbledon’s grass with a chance to extend a bid to accomplish just about the only thing she hasn’t: win a calendar-year Grand Slam.
“Why not?” said her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. “That’s probably the most difficult thing to do in tennis. But it’s possible.”
Saturday’s victory did not come easily for Williams, who skipped practice Friday because she was sick.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Williams said.
Although Williams has a feared serve, she doublefaulted 11 times.
She made 25 unforced errors in the second set, and 42 in all, 25 more than Safarova, a 28-year-old lefty with a whip-like forehand who was in her first major final.
“My first serve abandoned me,” said Williams, who is 32-1 in 2015, 12-0 in three-setters. “Once she saw that I got a little tight,
Right-handed Serena Williams returns with her left in her French Open win Saturday in Paris. she started playing really a lot better.”
Williams was broken serving for the match at 6-5 in the second set, then was down 2-0 in the third before turning things around.
“When she was on, she was just serving amazing and going for the returns, pressuring me right away,” Safarova said. “It’s just hard to do anything with that.”